Lube steering cable

[beckoning]

I have a 6 year old, single cable, rack+pinion system. Boat is 1989 19' Great Lakes Special, motor 100hp Merc. Steering has gotten stiffer and stiffer. I removed the cable end from the motor, propped the cable end up, and over 3 days allowed lightweight oil to seep into the cable. I did something similar at the rack+pinion end. I cleaned the cable stern end and the tube on the engine, put it all back together using white lithium grease on the cable end/tube. Steering is now about 50% better, less stiff. I would still like to lube the middle of the cable as there is a natural high point in the cable where it runs from helm to stern. Somewhere, I read what seems like a preposterous approach to lubricating the middle of the cable, but logical ----- drill a small hole in the cable housing and slowly squeeze oil in the hole to lubricate the middle of the cable. Squeeze in up to 6 oz of light machine oil or something that will NOT coagulate or stiffen. Has anyone done that.....drilled a hole in the cable housing to inject lube? I know someone will tell me to just buy a replacement Telex rack+pinion with cable and install that. I want to keep trying to free up a 6 year old steering cable.

Your thoughts?

 

[NYBo]

My thought is to replace the cable.

 

[MTboatguy]

Replace the cable, you don't have to replace anything but the cable, they still make those cables.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I had to do some surgery to replace the rack and pinion on my 95 StarCraft a few years back. It became so bad steering was a 2 hand workout. Why not a grease nipple mid cable? Too practical I imagine, oh yea, Marine, when something has that word in it's title not much is practical or easy, what am I thinking. It would have been easier to pull the 115 off the transom. That would have made it easier but certainly not easy. Just putting fuel in it makes me cry. We are paying $1.65 a litre for hi test here, a litre is about a quart. I know, you want to boat it will cost you, that doesn't make it less painful.

What about a syringe the size that would go through an Elephants skin?

 

[tacx]

Go to you tube and look up a video by a guy named "danger marine". He makes a adapter to fit over the end of the cable and on to his compressor. He pours some oil into the end of the cable, then connects his compressor, at about 30 psi and just lets it do the work. He is working on a shift cable, but i imagine that a steering cable could work the same way.

 

[beckoning]

Tacx, Thank you. I may try that, somehow. Getting over the large gland nut that connects the steering cable to the engine tube may be a challenge, but I'll work out something. Thank you again.

 

[5150abf]

I am really into McGuyver stuff, once took a zip lock bag and taped it to the end of a cable, filled it with oil and hung it from a a rafter in the garage, work it in and out every now and then and you have a lubricated cable.

Or you can buy one and be sure it isn't going to break and leave you stranded with a well oiled broken steering cable

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

Lube it however you can plan to repalce it, use a lube that does not have petroleum products in it. Here’s what happens most cables have a plastic inner liner that liner can be damaged from petroleum based products. Now your cables failing already so is a lube that gets you a couple more years bad or good. You decide. Ive been nursing my 21 year old Mercruiser cable with WD40 for 10 years its thin not petroleum based and cleans off things well after Ive blown it up the cable as far as I can. The best thing to use would be liquid graphite but I wouldnt want that in my boat for any reason.

 

[GA_Boater]

I know someone will tell me to just buy a replacement Telex rack+pinion with cable and install that.

That would be me. Steering does wear and lube only masks the problem. One day you may need to rely on the lubed worn out cable when it's really important.

Helms wear, cables wear and swivels can get sticky. Have you lubed the swivel?

 

[Lightwin 3]

If it is stiff, it is corroded. DO NOT MESS with a steering cable. McGyver aside.

Have you ever seen what happens when a cable snaps at anything over idle speed? I have. People get EJECTED.